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Poll talk stokes tension in Zim

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by James Mombe     Tuesday 14 June 2011

JOHANNESBURG – Zimbabwe’s political situation is increasingly turning
volatile amid talk of elections to choose a new government to replace the
ruling coalition that has kept the country relatively stable over the past
two years, a human rights group has said.

The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) said the ZANU PF party of President Robert
Mugabe and the MDC of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have both shifted
into campaign mode, sending political temperatures soaring in a country
where every major vote over the past decade has been accompanied by violence
and gross human rights abuses.

“Political tensions have been heightened throughout the country as the
country’s political leadership from mainly ZANU (PF) and the MDC-T have
already started preparing for the holding of elections,” the NGO said in its
latest report on political violence and human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.

The report that was released at the weekend and made available to ZimOnline
on Monday covers cases of politically motivated violence and rights abuses
in the month of April.

The group that regularly monitors violence in Zimbabwe said cases of
violence had shown welcome signs of declining in the month of April to 977
down from 1188 in March.

The ZPP report comes as the regional SADC bloc that pressured Mugabe and
Tsvangirai to form a unity government in February 2009 to end a dangerous
political stalemate after disputed elections the previous year, on Sunday
urged the two rivals to speed up implementation of democratic reforms
envisaged under their power-sharing pact.

The political pact officially known as the global political agreement or GPA
calls for the adoption of a new and democratic constitution that should lead
to peaceful, free and fair elections to choose a new government to replace
the coalition.

SADC leaders, who met in Johannesburg, South Africa deferred discussions on
an elections roadmap or charter for Zimbabwean to August. Under the proposed
roadmap Zimbabwe should hold polls only after adoption of a new constitution
and implementation of other key reforms to ensure smooth transfer of power
to winners.

But the ZPP report painted a deteriorating situation on the ground, while
accusing some senior political leaders such as Members of Parliament (MP)
especially from ZANU (PF) of stoking up hatred and intolerance by urging
their followers to expel supporters of rival parties from their
constituencies.

The group also condemned involvement of the pro-Mugabe police and the army
in acts of violence and intimidation against MDC supporters.

In one of several cases cited by the ZPP where a senior politician is
accused of encouraging intolerance, ZANU (PF) legislator Jabulani Mangena is
said to have gone around his rural Mberengwa North constituency telling
villagers that no other political party was allowed in the area.

“Mberengwa North MP Jabulani Mangena has been accused of addressing
political rallies where he openly declares that there should be no other
political party in his area,” the ZPP said. “As a result his supporters have
not been entertaining any political parties to campaign in the area.”

The NGO also lamented what it described as a high military presence in the
Midlands province where Mberengwa lies and in other provinces such as
Mashonaland East.

There is no date set yet for Zimbabwe’s next elections. However Mugabe and
his ZANU (PF) party are pushing for elections soon after adoption of a new
constitution, a situation that could see the country going to polls either
by the end of the year or early 2012.

But Tsvangirai – the favourite to win the next presidential vote but without
any guarantee Mugabe’s allies in the military will allow him to takeover
power – has said polls should not be held this year even after adoption of a
new constitution.

The former opposition chief says a new constitution and several proposed
electoral reforms would need to be given time to take root to ensure any
future vote is free and fair. -- ZimOnline


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Zuma outwits Mugabe

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Stanley Gama in South Africa
Tuesday, 14 June 2011 18:32

JOHANNESBURG - Details have emerged about how Zimbabwe’s
facilitator-in-chief President Jacob Zuma of South Africa stared and dressed
down President Robert Mugabe during Sunday’s Sadc summit here.

This followed Mugabe’s attempt to overturn resolutions from the Livingstone
troika meeting, which criticised the octogenarian leader and his Zanu PF
party for slowing down regional efforts to normalise politics in Zimbabwe.

So bad was the confrontation that Zuma at one point told Mugabe bluntly that
he “did not manufacture the (Livingstone) report” after Zimbabwe’s
octogenarian leader took issue with both the deliberations and outcome of
the Zambia meeting, the Daily News can authoritatively reveal.

Zuma went on to say that he had put together the report following extensive
consultations by the facilitators with Zimbabwe’s political Zuma outwits
Mugabe at Sadc summit parties, including Zanu PF.

Surprisingly, Zanu PF delegates at the summit attempted, but failed
miserably, to convince anyone who cared to listen to them at the end of the
gathering that the Livingstone report had been thrown out and had not been
adopted by Sadc.

This prompted a top South African government official to warn some of Zanu
PF’s officials against spreading such “malicious” rumours.

Zanu PF had hatched a plan, ahead of the summit, to force a reversal of the
hard-hitting Livingstone report, which savaged Mugabe and Zanu PF for
violations of the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

The Daily News has been told of how Mugabe made a 45-minute presentation at
the Johannesburg summit in which he attacked the Livingstone report, saying
proper procedures were not followed, claiming further that the facilitator’s
report which led to the troika communiqué contained inaccuracies.

Both Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC-N leader Welshman Ncube’s
presentations lasted a few minutes as they both had no problem with the
Livingstone report.

After Mugabe’s presentation, Zuma is said to have firmly told Mugabe off and
dismissed his views that Zuma had manipulated the report, highly-placed
regional diplomats who attended the meeting said.

“It was a big showdown considering that these were presidents involved.
Mugabe started by thanking Zuma for his facilitation role but attacked the
Livingstone report claiming it was packed with fabrications. Mugabe said the
whole report was about MDC requests and complaints and claimed his Zanu PF
party was never given a chance to put across their views.

“Mugabe alleged that procedurally, he was supposed to be given the report
before it went to the troika, but this was shot down by Sadc chairman
President Hifikepunye Pohamba, who insisted that it was a report for the
troika.

“Sadc executive secretary Tomaz Salomao also indirectly attacked Mugabe when
he stood up and said contrary to what the Zimbabwean leader had said, all
the political parties had been given the report after Zanu PF complained,”
the source said.

MDC secretary for international relations Jameson Timba confirmed that
Tsvangirai had received the report at the same time as Mugabe.

However, Zuma was reportedly not happy with Mugabe’s allegations that he and
his team had fabricated the report and is said to have hit back at the
87-year-old Zanu PF leader.

“President Zuma was visibly agitated but remained calm and firm in his
response. He said there was no way he could have cooked up the report and
said he had compiled the report using facts gathered by his team and from
the political parties.

“President Zuma also said he had consulted other Sadc leaders on the
Zimbabwe issue and they were all in agreement. He reminded Mugabe that he
wanted to help solve the political crisis in Zimbabwe and wanted the best
for Zimbabwe.

“After Zuma’s powerful rebuttal, there was consensus that the Livingstone
report had to be adopted, even though softened the language in the
communiqué to avoid embarrassing Mugabe further.

“But whatever the case, the Livingstone report was adopted and is part of
the Sadc report no matter the amount of propaganda around it coming from
Zimbabwe,” another diplomat said.

While Zanu PF propagandists claim that the term “noted” which was used by
Sadc in their communiqué meant that the Livingstone report had not been
adopted, Salomao dismissed this.

When asked what “noted” meant, Salomao gave a firm response saying the
Livingstone report had not been thrown out as was being peddled by Zanu PF.

“The meeting of the troika summit in Livingstone was a meeting of an
institution of Sadc which is charged to deal with political issues. When the
organ troika summit makes a deliberation and issues a communiqué, those
deliberations are final. Let us be clear and precise on that.

“What the summit did here was to note the decisions of the organ troika
summit in Livingstone and no one has the power or mandate to change what
organ troika summit deliberates. It means the same thing as being adopted
because it is a Sadc document.

“Sadc received a report from the mediator indicating progress that was made
by stakeholders in Zimbabwe on the process leading towards elections in
Zimbabwe.  That is why after the submission made by the principals, summit
commended and encouraged them to continue to work together based on the road
map."

“They must prepare the draft which has to be finalised by themselves and
when we meet in Luanda in August, it needs to have been concluded,” Salomao
said.

After the summit, Mugabe is said to have spoken to Zuma and this was
interpreted by diplomats as another of his many recent attempts to ease
tensions between the two.

A South African diplomat said tensions between the two men were being
exacerbated by a group of Zanu PF hardliners, among them serial political
turn-coat Jonathan Moyo, who had been abusing Zuma personally, amid
intra-Zanu PF allegations that this group was deliberately doing this to
cause problems for Mugabe.

One area which Mugabe furiously resisted was security sector reform,
although Salomao explained that this too was part of the roadmap which had
to be completed before August.

Among the Johannesburg resolutions, Sadc will, to confirm that the
Livingstone resolutions are binding, also send three monitors from the
troika countries who will help Jomic in monitoring progress on the political
situation in Zimbabwe.

This was one of the key Livingstone Summit recommendations which will be
implemented with immediate effect.


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SADC summit: Sanctions remain MDC's burden

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

14/06/2011 00:00:00
    by Lloyd Msipa

LAST weekend’s SADC summit to discuss the political impasse in Zimbabwe held
in Sandton, South Africa, has come and gone. The three political parties in
the Global Political Agreement went to the summit with different demands and
expectations.

The Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC-T, with the backing of a host of
western-funded NGOs that included the Crisis Coalition, descended on Sandton
to demand, firstly, the endorsement of the SADC Organ Troika resolutions
held in Livingstone, Zambia, in March.

Secondly, they were demanding that the full SADC summit of heads of states
and government include in its deliberations the issue of “security sector
reforms” and, thirdly, a definitive timeline for elections in Zimbabwe
beyond 2011.

On the issue of the security sector reform, we all know what happened to
that. Besides it being not an issue not covered in the GPA agreement, it
seemed overtly ambitious for the Tsvangirai outfit to think for a minute
that the SADC summit would entertain such preposterous demands. The issue of
the security sector is a national security matter way beyond the mandate of
SADC. The matter is so sensitive that it raises sovereignty issues.

On the first issue, it is not a secret that the resolution of the SADC Organ
Troika of March 2011 in Livingstone was based on the inaccuracies of a
report presented to it by the Morgan Tsvangirai MDC-T, which among other
things misled the organ to believe that Zimbabwe was under some kind of
military rule and that the Zimbabwe government was no longer in charge. This
of course resulted in a flawed communiqué from the Organ Troika.

Zanu PF also had its own set of demands. Notably, the party pointed out to
the SADC leaders the ambit of the Global Political Agreement mandate when it
came to issues that include the demands for security sector reforms. This
was never part of the Global Political Agreement.

Secondly, Zanu PF was seeking guidance from SADC with regard to the issue of
elections. This requirement for guidance was premised on the basis that the
Global Political Agreement that was originally agreed to last for 24 months
had since expired and hence according to the agreement, elections were now
overdue.

And thirdly, and most importantly, the Livingstone troika summit resolution
had deliberately written out the issue of the removal of sanctions on
Zimbabwe. It was this resolution that did not mention sanctions as an
outstanding issue to be fulfilled by the MDC-T outfit that Tsvangirai
clamoured for adoption and endorsement.

It is in this context and background that the three principals of the GPA
went to the summit. In the SADC Communiqué issued on June 12, 2011, the
issue of the SADC Troika communiqué, how it was received by the full SADC
summit of heads of state and governments, has received multiple
interpretations. In particular, item 22 in the resolution has been subject
to misinterpretation:
22. Summit noted the decisions of the Organ Troika Summit held in
Livingstone, Zambia in March 2011.

In desperation, there are those from the Tsvangirai camp who got so
frustrated by the failure of the full SADC summit of heads of States and
governments to endorse the Livingstone summit resolutions that they have now
resorted to redefining words to suit their own ends.

Listening to one online pirate radio station, some “political analysts”
being interviewed were at pains trying to equate or run parallels between
the word ‘noted’ with ‘endorsed’. Any Zimbabwe Junior Certificate student
will easily tell you the difference between the words, noted and endorsed. A
standard dictionary will tell you that when something is said to have been
noted, it merely means something that is ‘worthy of notice, something worthy
of attention, nothing substantive’.

When you endorse something it means you ‘support’ that thing. An endorsement
is an act of approval. It is a qualifying comment. Often when something is
endorsed, a signature is required. Now, for someone to say with no
equivocation that the SADC summit endorsed the Livingstone resolutions by
using the word ‘noted’ is not only foolish but thoroughly irresponsible.

The bottom line is that the SADC summit heads of state and governments saw
through the shenanigans of the Tsvangirai outfit at Livingstone. In
particular, President Jacob Zuma saw through the games played by the MDC-T
outfit. The fact that he requested to meet President Robert Mugabe a day
before the SADC summit is instructive.

Another issue that seems to have either escaped or has been ignored by the
pirate radio stations is the issue of the sanctions. This had been written
out of the Livingstone troika resolution of March 2011. The SADC summit of
the head of states and government brought it back in under points 29-31.

29. Summit recalled its decision taken during the Extraordinary Summit in
Windhoek, Namibia in August 2010, mandating the Chairperson of SADC, the
Chairperson of the Organ, SADC Facilitator for the Zimbabwe Political
Dialogue assisted by the Secretariat to undertake the mission to the United
Kingdom, United States of America and the European Union.
30. Summit received a Report on the mission and noted its recommendations.
31. Summit committed to continue dialogue with the western powers on the
removal of sanctions against Zimbabwe.

This alone is a major victory for Zanu PF in that the MDC-T has been asked,
working together with SADC, to ensure that they fulfill their part under the
GPA agreement. Most importantly, to make sure that they engage with their
western sponsors to have the sanctions lifted if Zimbabwe is to have free
and fair elections. If the sanctions are lifted, the issue of the timeline
for elections will no longer be of any significance.

So, however you look or read the June 12 SADC summit resolutions, the MDC-T
party remains the beast of burden. The burden they have is to make sure the
sanctions go before the next election, failure which they would have failed
or neglected to discharge their responsibility towards the Global Political
Agreement.
Lloyd Msipa writes from the United Kingdom. He can be contacted at
lmsipalaw@gmail.com


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COPAC temporarily halts drafting of new constitution

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
14 June 2011

Any hopes of Zimbabwe having a referendum by September this year have been
dashed, following COPAC’s decision to temporarily halt the drafting of a new
constitution.

Our correspondent Simon Muchemwa told us the delays in securing the $1.8
million to complete the exercise have forced COPAC to scale down its
operations. This includes the relocation of its secretariat back to their
Milton Park offices from the Harare International Conference Centre, where
they’ve been based for the last two months.

‘While the thematic committee stage, which was tasked with putting data into
respective thematic sections is now complete, there were expectations the
exercise would move straight to the next phase.

‘The next stage involves compiling a draft for the new constitution but lack
of funds has forced COPAC to ask delegates to check out of their hotels,’
Muchemwa said.

Rapporteurs, researchers and analysts were paid for their services last week
Friday but are still owed $500 each. Muchemwa said that in order to avoid
accumulating huge bills from hotels while the delegates were virtually doing
nothing, COPAC thought it was wise to send them home.

A timetable released by COPAC in January this year envisaged that if all
went well the country could go for a referendum in September.

But Muchemwa said; ‘With all these delays, I think it’s becoming
increasingly clear that the constitution wont be ready by September or even
the end of this year.’

Parties in the Global Political Agreement were hopeful the writing of the
constitution would be completed before the end of the year, with elections
expected in the first quarter of 2012. However, ZANU PF was pushing for a
poll even without the adoption of a new constitution. But this move was
crushed by the SADC summit held in Johannesburg on Sunday, at which the
parties were urged to hold elections only after the adoption of a new
constitution.


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ZANU PF infiltration of Apostolic churches exposed on video

http://www.swradioafrica.com
 
By Lance Guma
14 June 2011


Shocking video footage has exposed how ZANU PF has infiltrated Apostolic Churches countrywide and is using compromised preachers to campaign for Mugabe and ZANU PF ahead of national elections.

http://www.youtube.com/v/5ZrkUicOu74

The footage shows how the Vadzidzi Va Jesu branch of the Apostolic Christian Church has emerged as a vocal supporter of ZANU PF. Sermons from Rushinga, Epworth and Mudzi

North show how the preachers are spreading political hate messages and propping up Mugabe’s regime.

In Rushinga the preacher was filmed saying; “Gabriel is supreme; he carries the blood of Jesus. So we can’t throw him away. In this party we always say forward with R.G Mugabe and you also agree, Isn’t that so? Who is Gabriel? Isn’t he the President? For him to be named Gabriel, were there no other names to give him? He is the chosen one.”

The preacher rumbles on with his sermon saying even Mbuya Nehanda, the spirit medium behind the First Chimurenga, ordained Mugabe as somebody suitable to lead Zimbabwe. “We shouldn’t just pick anything and vote for it to be the President of our country. You shouldn’t agree to such things,” the combative preacher tells a visibly subdued and intimidated congregation seated on the ground.

In Epworth, another preacher is captured on film asking his congregation which church has the largest number of ZANU PF chairpersons? The congregation, respond by saying “here’ meaning the place where they are holding the service. The preacher then tells them; “As we are gathered here, we all belong to the party (ZANU PF). And the football teams are also part of the party.

The preacher then raises his voice to chant ZANU PF slogans. “Forward with ZANU PF,” he says to which the congregation say “Forward.” He follows that up with “Forward with our land. Down with those who do not like it.” The congregation are forced to re-affirm this and also chant ‘down with them.”

In Mudzi North another preacher is filmed with a more grandiose take on things. He leads his followers in singing, “Gabriel (Mugabe) is going to rule the whole of Africa.” In the actual sermon, he says; “We are sorry for some of our fellow black colleagues who meet and work with white people. It’s time now when the choice is either we lose the country or we hold onto it.”
These sorts of sermons are being replicated across the country by several ‘fake prophets’ in the pay of ZANU PF.

The growing influence of the Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe has seen ZANU PF trying to harvest more followers from there. The three major Sects are reported to command close to 5 million followers within Zimbabwe alone. Of the three, the African Apostolic Church has an estimated 2.5 million members, Johanne Marange 1.5 million and the Johanne Masowe WeChishanu around 1 million followers.

Nothing demonstrated ZANU PF’s strategy better than the fact that Mugabe pardoned convicted serial rapist, Madzibaba Godfrey Nzira. In 2003 Nzira, a self-proclaimed prophet, was jailed for 32 years, later reduced to 20 years, on seven counts of rape and one count of indecent assault. Nzira in the past has claimed Mugabe was a “divinely appointed king of Zimbabwe and no man should dare challenge his office.”

Nzira’s bootlicking paid off as he walked out of prison a free man this year, courtesy of a presidential pardon. The Justice Ministry attempted to justify the early release, saying it was made on compassionate grounds owing to Nzira’s ill health. However Nzira has shown that he is fit enough to go on a tour drumming up support for Mugabe. He even celebrated his early release by hosting a week long party that was also attended by the Attorney General Johannes Tomana.

In May this year, members of the Johanne Marange Apostolic sect, invaded one of the biggest dairy farms in Chipinge and ordered the farmer to leave within 24 hours. Members of the sect, together with a mob of ZANU PF youths, stormed Spillemeer Farm and declared they had taken over. The farm’s owner Francois Kotze said the church members were using ZANU PF youths to intimidate him and they also forcibly grabbed over 100 cattle from him.

A report by the Daily News, quoting an official from the Commercial Farmers Union, said; “The Apostolic faith members ordered Kotze to remove a drove of pigs claiming the presence of the animals ran contrary to their religious beliefs. They however, demanded that he slaughter several sheep to feed them. They declared the cattle as theirs. They are now milking the cattle themselves,” the report said. The police refused to intervene in the matter, claiming it was political.

As the video evidence on our website shows, ZANU PF is trying to build up an alliance with as many of these influential Apostolic Church sects as possible, allowing them to join in the pillaging by the party, in return for political support during the elections.

Every Tuesday SW Radio Africa investigates unsolved and deliberately ignored cases of political violence, torture, murder and other forms of abuse, by people in positions of authority. The series is receiving tremendous public support and information and the coming weeks are set for some explosive exposures.

See transcript


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MDC-T blasts delaying tactics in police death trial

http://www.swradioafrica.com

14 June 2011

The MDC-T has condemned the continued postponement of a bail application
hearing for its supporters as a delaying tactic by the state.

24 MDC supporters have been arrested since police inspector Petros Mutedza
was killed in Glen View, Harare last month. Police allege Mutedza was killed
by MDC-T supporters. The party denies this, saying he was killed after a
fight broke out with drinkers at a shopping centre in Glen View and that the
allegations are part of a ploy to portray the MDC as a violent party.

Obert Gutu, the MDC-T’s Harare Province Secretary for Information and
Publicity, says so far the bail application hearing has been moved four
times, with the state requesting the postponements for various reasons.

The court hearing was delayed again on Tuesday, after the prosecutor asked
to be excused, saying he had to be at the Supreme Court. Instead of starting
on Tuesday morning, the hearing eventually began mid-afternoon and will
continue on Wednesday morning.

The bail application is for 20 supporters. The other three appeared in court
on Monday and were remanded in custody to 17th June. Another supporter,
councillor Warship Dumba who was arrested on Sunday, is still in police
custody.


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Gweru court defends illegal invasion of SA farmer’s land

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
14 June 2011

A Gweru court has defended the illegal and often violent invasion of a
Somabhula farm, after the farmer was on Tuesday found guilty of refusing to
give up his land.

87 year old Phillip Hapelt, a South African citizen, was forced to flee his
farm earlier this year and was then charged for refusing to voluntarily give
up his land. This is despite numerous other court orders that have defended
his rights to his farm.

Phillip and his wife Ellen have for the past two years faced serious threats
from local ZANU PF MP Jabulani Mangena, who has led a campaign of
harassment, vandalism and violence against the farmers. The couple was
brutally beaten in late 2009 when Mangena first started trying to get them
to leave. Mangena meanwhile is said to have acquired at least three other
farms in the countrywide land grab campaign.

Many years ago the Hapelts voluntarily gave up the majority of their land
for the sake of ‘reform’, under an agreement that allowed them to remain on
their homestead with a small portion of farming land. They have two court
orders that entitle them to live on this farm, without fear of invasion or
persecution, but they were forced to seek two successive evictions orders in
an effort to get Mangena’s men off their land last year. Mangena has openly
disregarded the rulings of the courts and has previously threatened the
Hapelts with violence. In March the couple fled the property after a
standoff with a mob of land invaders threatened to turn violent.

Their fight has now come to an end after a Gweru court on Tuesday found
Phillip guilty of not voluntarily leaving his property. He was fined US$100.

Meanwhile there has been no reaction from the South African authorities on
this illegal treatment of one of their citizens, despite Zim and South
Africa both signing an investment protection agreement.

South Africa’s silence also comes as the Southern African leadership bloc
has dissolved the region’s human rights Tribunal, which ruled in 2008 that
the Zim land grab exercise was unlawful. Instead of protecting human rights,
Southern African leaders have chosen to silence this court, in a move
described as a “regressive” and a serious threat to the region’s future.


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Zanu PF informers infiltrate MDC

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Pindai Dube
Tuesday, 14 June 2011 14:09

BULAWAYO - Some activists holding positions in MDC structures are on the
payroll of Zanu PF and feared state security agency, the Central
Intelligence Organisation (CIO), a senior party member has confirmed.

Citing results of an internal investigation, Abednico Bhebhe, the MDC
national deputy organising secretary told the Daily News that his party was
mainly infiltrated during internal elections to prepare for a congress held
in April.

“We have an ongoing investigation and I can confirm that state agents and
Zanu PF informers infiltrated our party ahead of the congress. We have
evidence that some of our members are on the payroll of the CIO,” Bhebhe
said.

He added: “We have compiled a list of them and they are set to be hauled for
disciplinary hearing and be suspended pending dismissal from the party.”

Zanu PF Bulawayo spokesperson Michael Sikhosana on Friday dismissed
allegations that his party is deploying spies to infiltrate the MDC.


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"Arrest machemedze," Hoey

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Ray Matikinye, Assistant Editor
Tuesday, 14 June 2011 13:14

HARARE - A British paper has revealed that ex-Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO) officer Phillip Machemedze, who won United Kingdom (UK)
asylum on the grounds that he was endangered if deported, was still on the
dreaded spy agency’s pay roll until recently.

Justice Archer gave Machemedze a reprieve, saying if chucked out of Britain
he faced “the highly likely prospect of torture and execution without
 trial.”

But former UK Member of Parliament Kate Hoey is pressuring the Home Office
to arrest the confessed killer.

According to the Daily Mail, Machemedze — also known as ‘Kim’ — has
repeatedly lied to the authorities ever since arriving in Britain 11 years
ago, again on the pretext that he was disgusted and disillusioned by working
for the CIO.

“Far from repenting and turning his back on his brutal secret work for
Mugabe, he has, in fact, remained in the employment of Zimbabwe’s security
services since entering Britain on a six-month tourist visa in 2000.”

Intelligence records passed to the Mail show that Machemedze has been paid
thousands of pounds by Mugabe’s intelligence network to identify the regime’s
enemies living among Britain’s 200 000-strong Zimbabwean community. He has
even had £300 monthly school fees for his two children left in Zimbabwe paid
out of CIO coffers.

The paper also said one senior member of Mugabe’s security apparatus alleged
this week that Machemedze had been on the official CIO payroll until just a
few weeks ago, when his handlers in Harare first learned he had revealed
details of their operation in the course of his asylum hearings.

The Mail was shown documents — including birth certificates and secret
internal communiqués about Machemedze — which shows that he was still
working for the CIO until April.

One document titled: “Warning of Blacklisted Security Source’ and circulated
to all police and intelligence units in Zimbabwe states that all officers
must destroy all files relating to ‘‘officer number 002676 Chief Inspector
Phillip Machemedze’’. This was to erase all records of his involvement in
torture and murderous activities.

In trying to disown Machemedze, the state media countered initial
revelations about Machemedze’s CIO links saying he merely worked as a clerk
in the Ministry of Public Construction.

In the UK, he worked for a Bristol clinic for people with mental disorders
and addictions. Using false papers, he was allowed to stay in the UK.

Although lowly-paid, he threw lavish parties and on one of his birthdays he
feted 100 guests with food and drink. He was also a regular at bars and
clubs for African immigrants, the paper claimed.

“Wherever you went, Kim would turn up,” one of his former associates said.
“He was at every party, but he acted like royalty and often walked straight
in without paying at nightclubs. Everyone knows him.”

A Zimbabwean exile also revealed that ‘‘friends’’ of Machemedze have
threatened anyone with a beating or worse if they speak out about his life
here or in Africa.

“If he can’t be sent back, he should be tried for murder here,” they were
quoted as saying.

One of Machemedze’s victims said she tested positive for HIV after
Machemedze and three of his colleagues repeatedly gang-raped her in January
2000, just two months before he arrived in Britain.

“I made a police report — I will always remember the official police report
number, OB 3171/00. But nothing happened. Nothing.”

Just recently, Hoey ratcheted up pressure on the Home Office to act on
Machemedze, saying she knew of other UK asylum seekers with suspected CIO
links.

“Machemedze is clearly a dangerous man. He poses a risk to both Zimbabweans
in the UK in particular and to the British public in general,” she says.

“I call on the police to arrest him on the grounds that torture is an
offence of universal jurisdiction under international law, and that his
actions wherever they were perpetrated are liable to prosecution in the UK.
The Home Secretary should intervene to make sure this happens,” she added. —
With Daily Mail


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Petulant Robert Mugabe's ministers refusing to report to Tsvangirai

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com

14/06/2011 14:23:00    Daily News

HARARE – Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says Zanu PF ministers are
refusing to report to him as mandated by the Global Political Agreement
(GPA), a situation that has collapsed many operations of the coalition
government.

Tsvangirai said this in his weekly Prime Minister’s newsletter, a
publication that acts as his official mouth piece. The former trade
unionist, who is in an awkward coalition with long-time rival President
Robert Mugabe, says Zanu PF ministers such as Webster Shamu were
sidestepping him despite his role as the chief overseer of government
policy.

“We have seen a distinct division between the two parties where certain
ministries are no longer accountable to the collective. They are only
accountable to the president. So you can see that there is growing discord
and fissures within the government and these are causing the government to
be dysfunctional,” said Tsvangirai.

Shamu is the Minister of Information and Publicity and has resisted
implementation of media reforms agreed to by Tsvangirai and Mugabe.

“This is against the GPA and the law. The Constitution says specifically
that all ministers are supposed to be supervised by the prime minister but
that is in theory. In practice people have maintained their separate ways,”
said Tsvangirai.

The GPA spells out that the prime minister shall “oversee the formulation of
government policies” and “shall ensure that the ministers develop
appropriate implementation plans to give effect to the policies decided by
cabinet: in this regard, the ministers will report to the prime minister on
all issues relating to the implementation of such policies and plans.”

The prime minister is the one who will regularly report to the president and
parliament, according to the GPA, which forms the foundation of the
coalition government. Tsvangirai painted a picture of a hugely divided
cabinet where daggers were always drawn out at the expense of service
delivery.

He said although his party was in a coalition with Mugabe’s Zanu PF, the
parties had largely remained entrenched in party politics and were
answerable more to party organs than government structures.

“They have remained answerable to their separate leadership. For instance,
the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity, in spite of repeated calls
to the president to intervene in this ministry, nothing has happened,” said
Tsvangirai with a hint of frustration.

“In spite of repeated calls for President Mugabe to rein in some of the
rogue elements in the military who have been pronouncing statements which
are unconstitutional, he has not done so.

“It appears that people are either in defiance or are being encouraged to
make those statements in order to sow seeds of discord to the only
institution which has helped rescue this country, which is the transitional
Government.”

Apart from the Ministry of Information and Publicity, all the security
aligned ministries such as Home Affairs, State Security Defence and Mines
have so far refused to report to the premier but instead deal directly with
Mugabe. The ministers concerned were not reachable when the Daily News
repeatedly tried calling their mobile numbers.

Tsvangirai said the current status quo had the potential to “plunge into
chaos” which would be detrimental to the country. Tsvangirai also emphasised
that there were some in Zanu PF who “believe they can claim continued hold
onto the State”. Tsvangirai said the treatment of his party by the police
and recent attacks on the house of Finance Minister Tendai Biti were
worrying.

“We have a situation here where one half of Government is blatantly abusing
and harassing the other half,” said Tsvangirai adding that the bombing of
Biti’s residence “is a matter we are taking seriously and we will not let it
pass just like that.”

University of Zimbabwe Political analyst, John Makumbe said the premier’s
complaints were a sign of a government in paralysis.

“He is correct to complain but that is the nature of the coalition
government. It is effectively a parallel government. The MDC T ministers are
reporting to Tsvangirai while Zanu PF Ministers are reporting to Mugabe and
I doubt that the MDC N ministers are reporting to anyone,” said Makumbe.

“Effectively we have two governments and it’s a government in paralysis.”
Daily News


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Over 2 000 graduate nurses jobless

http://www.herald.co.zw/

Monday, 13 June 2011 23:04

By Peter Matambanadzo

OVER 2 000 graduate nurses countrywide bonded by the Government after
training remain jobless becau-se health institutions have frozen
recruitment.
More than 500 nurses graduate from mission and Government hospitals
annually.

Government has frozen about 400 nurses' and doctors' posts nation wide since
June last year.
The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare said the Ministry of Finance had
unfrozen 205 posts for registered general nurses, 115 State certified
nurses, 17 primary care nurses and 42 doctors.

According to records, 8 056 nurses are employed throughout Zimbabwe against
an establishment of 7 688.
This is a clear indication that all nurses who are graduating from nursing
schools cannot be absorbed into available health institutions.

This has forced the graduate nurses to petition the Ministry of Health and
Child Welfare demanding to be released from the bonds and be allowed to seek
employment elsewhere.
Health and Child Welfare Deputy Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora recently said
the Government was aware of the nurses' plight.

"We are currently engaging the Ministry of Fina-nce to assist us. So we
should be able to inform them of any latest developments soon," Dr
Mombeshora said.
He said Government was "tirelessly" working towards addressing the issue.

He could not disclose details of a meeting he had with Permanent Secretary
Dr Gerald Gwinji on the matter.
The nurses' group representative, Mr Norest Makanga, in a letter to the
ministry, said they had raised concerns with the ministry on several
occasions with no joy.

"We are qualified nurses since December 2010 and we have not been employed
up to now. We are seeking your response to our issue. We went to all
departments responsible for employment, that is human resources and public
service who just say the posts are frozen due to lack of finance.

"We approached the permanent secretary in the form of a written letter
asking for our diplomas so that we seek employment elsewhere within the
re-gion but all was in vain," Mr Makanga said.
He said they wanted Government to respond to their plight and inform them
how they were going to deal with the increasing number of jobless nurses.

"We understand we are about 2 000 nurses countrywide who are qualified and
are yet to be employed. When we reported to the various institutions that we
were assigned, we were turned away as we were told that the posts have been
frozen due to lack of funds," he said.

He said another problem was that when they enrolled at the training schools,
they signed contracts that stated that they had been bonded for three years
post-qualifying.
Nurses train for three years for a registered general nurse's course.

"The idea of keeping us bonded is a clear indication of us being employed by
your ministry. We need money to pay rent, food, water and electricity bills,
pay school fees and even taking care of our fami- lies.
"Most of us are parents and things are hard for us without employment," he
said.


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Zvimba villagers bashed, missing

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

A pall of fear has fallen over Zvimba, President Mugabe's rural home, after
Zanu (PF) thugs unleashed a fresh orgy of violence.
13.06.1112:13pm 0 0
Martin

Ahead of elections slated for next year, Mugabe’s supporters have
intensified a witch-hunt of perceived opposition members.
Robert Mugabe Robert Mugabe

As regional leaders met in South Africa over the weekend, soldiers and youth
militia carried out a door-to-door purge of MDC supporters in the rural
area.

In the past week alone five people have reported being severely beaten and
ordered to "surrender." Scores of villagers have fled into hiding.

MDC supporters said the crackdown has been steadily escalating since the MDC
congress and described witnessing a cavalcade of Mugabe supporters stream
through the village carrying a coffin with Tsvangirai’s name on it.

MDC supporters have been ordered to surrender all the regalia they received
at the congress.

A district MDC official, who declined to be named fearing reprisals, said
people were huddled inside a modest, four-bedroom house in the area with
women and children sleeping in cramped rooms, while men slept in the long
grass by the maize patch.

"Our lives are in danger,” the district official said. “They want to attack
us."

A local general dealer, hiding bruises with thick make-up, told The
Zimbabwean****** that 10 days ago a gang of youths from Zanu (PF) stoned her
pick-up truck, looted her shop and beat her.

"They told me to leave Zimbabwe and go to Britain," she said.

Human rights groups say several people are on the run across the province,
with some being sought by the Central Intelligence.

The district official said many were hiding from the beatings, torture and
feared killings.

"Some of our members have been abducted and taken to one of their 'Taliban
camps' where they were tortured and told to surrender," he said.

"We have not committed any crime; we are just working for democracy. In
those torture camps they do inhuman things."

He vowed to return to Zvimba and get police to search for the missing

"We are being hunted down. Anyone suspected of supporting the MDC, it is
terrible," he said

"It is frightening. We don't know when they will attack us again." – Chief
reporter


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Fear rises in SA as Zim deportations loom

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
14 June 2011

Fear is rising within South Africa’s community of Zimbabweans, amid concerns
that a looming return to deportations will result in increased harassment
and victimisation of Zim nationals.

The current moratorium on forced returns of Zimbabweans will be lifted at
the end of July, marking the end of the chaotic documentation endeavor
launched last year. That process, which gave Zim nationals a chance to apply
for legal documentation to remain in South Africa legally, has been marred
by chaos and it’s understood that tens of thousands of people are still
waiting for their documents.

Braam Hanekom from the refugee rights group PASSOP told SW Radio Africa on
Tuesday that there is a sense of urgency among the Zimbabwean community,
with the July 31st deadline looming. He explained how “time does seem to be
running out,” adding that thousands of people still don’t know their fate.

“We will be meeting with Home Affairs and seeing if there is any way that
the process can be extended anymore, but I think the leniency by South
Africa in extending this process before is really running thin,” Hanekom
said.

There are warnings that South African officials are considering embarking on
a ‘clean-up’ exercise targeting illegal immigrants, when the moratorium is
lifted. According to a report by South African based human rights lawyer
Nicole Whittaker, this ‘clean-up’ operation might result in documented
migrants, including asylum seekers, being unlawfully arrested, detained and
possibly even deported from South Africa.

“A pressing concern is that once the moratorium on the deportation of
Zimbabweans ends on July 31 2011, the South African authorities will round
up suspected ‘illegal foreigners’ en masse and detain them for purposes of
deportation, without assessing individually who has a right to be in South
Africa and who does not,” said Whittaker in her report, titled: ‘Zimbabweans
in South Africa fear mass deportation: The aftermath of the Zimbabwean
Documentation Process.’

Whittaker said this was due to the flaws in the documentation process,
explaining how the exercise “was plagued by difficulties such as excluding
many Zimbabweans from the process and making them consequently vulnerable to
deportation.”

Bishop Paul Verryn from the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg
meanwhile warned that some South African politicians were using the removal
of all foreigners from the country as a “dangerous political tool.” He
explained that xenophobic tensions were still high as a result of such
politicking, warning that “we are sitting on a ticking time bomb.” Verryn
said that official promises to remove foreigners from South Africa were
adding fuel for more xenophobic attacks.

In recent days at least two Zimbabwean men have been killed in unrelated,
violent attacks by South Africans. One man in Polokwane was reportedly
stoned to death by a mob of South Africans who also vandalised the homes of
other foreigners in the area. At the same time disturbing footage of a mob
beating a young Zimbabwean man to death in the Diepsloot informal settlement
has also been released on the internet. The man’s shack was also burned to
the ground.

Verryn explained that the number of Zimbabweans entering South Africa was
increasing, because of fears of pre-election violence at the hands of ZANU
PF back home. He agreed that the influx of the Zim nationals was an
indictment of the severity of the Zimbabwean crisis, calling South Africa’s
decision to resume deportations at this point “traumatic and dangerous.”


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Essar to Process Zimbabwe Iron Ore If It Decides to Export

http://www.businessweek.com/

June 14, 2011, 11:28 AM EDT

By Brian Latham

June 14 (Bloomberg) -- Essar Africa Holdings Ltd., a unit of Essar Group,
said it will process Zimbabwean iron ore before exporting it through a
terminal it may build in Mozambique.

The company is considering building iron ore and coal export terminals in
the Mozambican port city of Beira, it said in a statement e-mailed to
Bloomberg today. In March, Essar agreed to buy control of the steel and
mining assets of the state-owned Zimbabwe Iron & Steel Co., known as Zisco.

“Mozambique is the logical exit point for any exports of iron ore from
Zimbabwe,” Essar said. “Any export of iron ore from mines in Zimbabwe would
only happen after beneficiation to add value.”

Essar is considering a 20 million metric-ton-per-year iron ore terminal in
Mozambique to ship surplus production from Zimabwbe’s Ripple Creek and
Mwanesi mines, Firdhose Coovadia, Essar’s director for the Middle East and
Africa, said at a June 8 iron ore conference in Cape Town. A coal terminal
of the same size may also be built, he said.

There is no agreement to build a slurry pipeline from Zimbabwe to
Mozambique, Mumbai-based Essar said. Earlier Securities Africa, a research
company, had said in a note to clients that a slurry pipeline would be
built.

Essar took control of 54 percent of the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Corp. March
9 in a deal worth about $750 million, according to Zimbabwe’s industry
minister Welshman Ncube. Essar will have 80 percent of a venture that will
operate the mines, the company said today.

--With assistance from Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg. Editors: Antony
Sguazzin, Philip Sanders


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'Gono hotel' woman threatened

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Xolisani Ncube, Staff Writer
Tuesday, 14 June 2011 18:38

HARARE - Veronica Duro, the woman at the centre of a hotel saga that has
sucked in central bank boss Gideon Gono, says she has been “threatened” to
withdraw her case to reverse the property’s sale to the wealthy governor.

In a fresh High Court application on Friday, the 43-year-old nurse aid said
she had to reinstate her case after withdrawing it on June 6 due to the
alleged threats from family-appointed executor and lawyer Tinashe Zenda, as
well as some beneficiaries of the late Micah Duro’s estate.

Duro was a rich Zimbabwean businessman with Zambian roots, who owned several
properties in the country, including the disputed Kamfinsa Hotel in Harare’s
Greendale suburb.

Zenda, Gono’s farming business Lunar Chickens (Private) Limited and master
of the High Court are listed as second, third and fourth respondents in the
matter involving the late businessman’s inherited assets.

“I want to highlight to this honourable court that on Monday, 6 June 2011
around 1230hrs… l was pressurised by second respondent and other
beneficiaries into involuntarily withdrawing that urgent chamber application
(case no HC5146/11),” she said in court papers lodged late last week.

Micah Duro, a farmer-cum-hotelier died in 2009 and a group of his relatives,
and children have been wrangling over his multi-million dollar estate.

In the papers, Veronica claims Zenda called her several times and threatened
her with unspecified actions – leading to a temporary withdrawal of the
case.

“At 16:30hrs second respondent called me with a harsh voice to say (that) l
was wasting my time going before this honourable court. At 17:41 hours, he
phoned again and… in a harsher voice to say that he had been called that
evening to third respondent’s offices where he was told he had to refund his
deposit,”  she deposed in her explosive affidavit.

Furthermore, Gono was “no longer interested in a disputed property and did
not want to attend the court hearing”, as he was also not happy with the
coverage that the issue was attracting.

“If this matter appears in the media, third respondent was going to look for
me and that l would not like what would happen to me. Before threatening to
deal with me ‘accordingly’, as he put it, second respondent also asked me if
l wanted him killed by third respondent. I could not understand this
statement,” Duro added.

As revealed by Daily News last week, Zenda stands accused of double-selling
the Harare hotel to Gono and Duro, who claims to have been given the rights
to purchase the once-popular hotel by the clan in the aftermath of the death
of her father, Micah.

The lawyer also stands accused of fiddling with time and numbers to
frustrate Veronica’s plans by inviting her to Zambia, and ever since the
transaction touched off a storm last week Gono has since balked at the messy
affair or deal by annulling the contract.

Repeated efforts to secure comment from Zenda failed yesterday, as his
numbers were unreachable.
Last week, he told Daily News, though, that the intended sale to Gono was
above board and Veronica’s rush to the courts was an attempt to tarnish the
RBZ chief’s image.

Under the controversial deal, Gono had paid a US$150 000 deposit for the
half-million dollar-valued Greendale property – through Larob Real Estate –
with three subsequent installments due by August this year.

However, after the first legal complaint earlier this month and subsequent
noise, Gono cancelled the agreement on June 8.

In both instances – of buying the 6 490 square- metre-hotel and revoking the
contract – Gono personally signed the paper work or documentation.


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Horror fire: Search on for missing relatives

http://www.herald.co.zw

Monday, 13 June 2011 21:45

By Felex Share and Peter Matambanadzo
HARARE residents with missing relatives yesterday flo-cked to Harare Central
Hospital in a desperate search for their loved ones they suspect could have
been burnt after a fuel tanker exploded in Sunningdale at the weekend.
Three people were killed while 16 others sustained serio-us burns when the
tanker from which they were siphoning petrol burst into flames following an
accident.

Although there were three confirmed deaths as of last night, police and
members of the public suspect more people could have been burnt to ashes.
Sunningdale residents insist more than 20 people were draining fuel from the
tanker when it blew up.

Police spokesperson Inspector James Sabau yesterday said investigations were
still in progress.
"The number still stands at three deaths and our officers attended the scene
and couldn't find any indication in the debris. However, we are continuing
with our investigations and we still urge those who are missing their
relatives - whom they think might have died in the inferno - to come forward
and inform us," he said.

On the cause of the fire, Insp Sabau said:"We are still wai-ting for a
report from the Fire Brigade and once they are through, we will let you
know."
The Herald was at Harare Central Hospital yesterday du-ring the afternoon
visit hour and saw several people looking for missing relatives.

"Since yesterday, we are still trying to locate my son and we have been to
Parirenyatwa Hospital and he is not there and here (Harare Central Hospital)
we are being told that they don't have such a patient.
"Chances are high that he could have perished in the fire," said Mrs Thelma
Runesu.

Another sobbing woman, who identified herself as Mrs Zhakata said: "We have
been everywhere. He (her son) went to the scene with our neighbours with
their buckets and I am still to figure out the hospital where he is
admitted."

Two other people who declined to be named said they failed to locate their
missing relatives among the injured. The relatives are also facing a
challenge identifying their loved ones because some of them were badly
burnt.

A sombre atmosphere engulfed Sunningdale yesterday afternoon as residents
mourned the three who perished in the fire while others pondered over the
fate of their missing relatives
Scores of residents were still thronging the scene of the fatal accident to
see the remnants of the tanker.

Scrap metal dealers could be seen scouring the scene in search of scrap as
residents watched.
The father of one of the victims, Mr Noble Mukunyadze, who lost his
23-year-old son Canaan, was still in a state of shock.
Mr Mukunyadze said his son might have been saved if police had swiftly
responded.

"This disaster could have been prevented if the police who are only less
than a kilometre away from the accident site had attended quickly.
"They did not do so and only arrived after 30 minutes later and people who
took the opportunity to siphon fuel as a result were killed in the inferno,"
he said.

He said his son would be buried in Mhondoro tomorrow.
Another victim Lawrence Goro had already been taken to his rural home in Mt
Darwin.
In an interview yesterday, the owner of the fuel tanker, Mr Martin Dzvimbo,
said the driver was not feeling well.

"I am going to visit him tonight (yesterday) and I will get back to you
tomorrow morning," said a rueful Mr Dzvimbo.
He said the driver sustained internal injuries in the accident.

The driver tried to restrain the people from stealing the petrol from the
accident scene, warning it would blow up anytime, but they would have none
of it and even threatened him.
Mr Dzvimbo said his tanker was carrying 35 000 litres of petrol that was
being delivered to service station in Norton.

Environmental Management Agency (EMA) officials urged haulage truck drivers
to abide by the regulations that compel them to drive between 6 am and 6pm
when visibility will be good.
EMA spokesperson, Mr Steady Kangata, warmed people not to rush and loot
goods at accident scenes as some of them will be flammable, corrosive, while
others cause diseases such as cancer.

The inferno also reduced a commuter omnibus and a private car to shells.
The occupants of the two vehicles, however, escaped unhurt.


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ZUJ fury over Mutambara outburst

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

14/06/2011 00:00:00
    by Staff Reporter

THE Zimbabwe Union of Journalists has condemned Deputy Prime Minister Arthur
Mutambara for allegedly using “intolerant and intemperate” language while
answering questions from the NewsDay newspaper.

The newspaper reported on June 13 that Mutambara had accused its journalists
of “writing rubbish” after he was asked about an apparent snub by SADC
leaders who refused to recognise him as MDC leader.

“Who told you to call me?,” Mutambara was quoted as shouting at a NewsDay
journalist, before adding: “Tell your editor to stop publishing rubbish.
Your paper is writing rubbish.”
The newspaper said earlier, Mutambara had accused it of “writing stupid
stories”.

But ZUJ, which recently criticised Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Mines
Minister Obert Mpofu and Information Communication Technology Minister
Nelson Chamisa over attacks on journalists, said Mutambara's outburst made
its membership “uneasy”.

“The DPM has been very intolerant against journalists over the last few days
while being interviewed over his participation in the just-ended
Extraordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in Johannesburg,
South Africa,” ZUJ secretary general Foster Dongozi said in a statement.

“The Union would like to condemn in very strong terms the DPM’s abusive
statements and call on him to use language which contributes towards peace
and national healing in Zimbabwe.”

ZUJ said it feared attacks by politicians on journalists had the capacity to
“endanger the lives of journalists as their supporters may take it as a cue
to abuse, harass or assault journalists, newspaper vendors and media
organisations.”

Mutambara, who has been battling to regain control of the MDC party now led
by Welshman Ncube, was invited to the SADC summit in his capacity as Deputy
Prime Minister and not leader of the party.
Mutambara had recently purported to have fired Ncube, despite giving up the
party leadership at a congress in January.

Meanwhile, ZUJ also launched an attack on Harare councillor Joyce Kariwo who
reportedly accused journalists of staying until late at council meetings “in
order to eat councillors’ food”.

“We reject and condemn Clr Kariwo’s statements and would like to draw to her
attention that the only reason why journalists attend council meetings until
late is because they would be on assignment and are dedicated professionals
seeking to provide quality service under extremely difficult working
conditions,” Dongozi said.


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Legendary broadcaster Hilton Mambo dies

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
14 June 2011

Veteran broadcaster and music producer Hilton ‘Dr Bobo’ Mambo has died at
the age of 60. Mambo, whose career in music spanned 40 years, had been ill
for sometime and died at the Avenues clinic in Harare on Monday. The funeral
is being arranged by his family in Hatfield, Harare. Hilton’s colleagues and
friends have expressed shock and grief over his death.

Mambo, easily recognised by his distinctly husky voice, had a lengthy radio
career with a devoted following recruited during his jazz and blues stints.

Many tributes are being paid to the man who started his career as a sound
engineer with Blackberry productions, which produced programs for the then
Rhodesia Broadcasting Corporation in the 1970’s.

Leading music critic Vivian Maravanyika told SW Radio Africa that during his
time at Blackberry Mambo worked with high profile personalities like Ishmail
Kadungure, the late Wellington Mbofana, Admire Taderera, John Matinde and
the late Josh Makawa.

‘He gained fame when he played the character Dr Bobo, a villain in a radio
play called Enemy of the Bad, in the mid 1970’s. That name stuck to him
until his death but he will also be remembered for being a sound engineer
for the road show, (surf show-pick a box), which was a hit in the early 1980’s.
He also worked on Jarzin man, another popular radio program hosted by
Taderere,’ Maravanyika said.

Born and bred in Mbare, as a recording engineer Mambo also worked on
projects with Zimbabwe’s music greats, including Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver
Mtukudzi, Zexie Manatsa and Simon Chimbetu.

After Independence he became a very popular presenter on ZBC’s Radios 1 and
3 where he presented weekly jazz and blues shows and as a singer he also
released a couple of singles and sang with several bands on Harare’s music
scene.

Described as a warm and friendly man, Mambo had recently been living in the
UK where he was a weekly guest DJ at a pub called the Pied Horse in Slough.

Maravanyika said; ‘He was well versed about music in Zimbabwe since he was
in his teens. He would tell you about every musician who has ever recorded
an album in the country. This man was a great broadcaster and musician who
will be sorely missed by his fans’.


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Were these people at the same meeting?

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Zimbabwe’s neighbors, long accused of handling the festering Zimbabwe crisis
with kid gloves, put an unusual amount of public pressure on Mugabe at the
Livingstone summit to halt the political violence, intimidation and arrests
that had surged since his party began agitating for elections in recent
months.
14.06.1109:28am 2 0
The Zimbabwean Harare

After meeting on Zimbabwe’s deteriorating political climate, the presidents
of South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique issued a damning communique
expressing “grave concern” about the country’s increasingly polarized
environment, one that human rights groups have attributed to Mugabe’s party,
Zanu PF.Mugabe was apoplectic with fury after the damning communique,
charging that SADC could not dictate but mediate in the long festering
Zimbabwe political stand-off.

The extraordinary summit in Sandton on Sunday was expected to adopt the
report. But there are now conflicting statements, with Zanu PF saying the
Livingstone report was noted and not adopted and the MDC-T saying the Troika
communique was endorsed. Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi
said: "The Summit went on very well, very, very well. Summit only noted the
outcome of Livingstone, they did not endorse, Summit noted. And as you know
in diplomatic parlance, you know what ‘noting' means? It was noted, it was
not endorsed."

But Prof Ncube said it was unfortunate and regrettable that some parties had
chosen to grand stand and politick by trying to spin and deliberately
falsify the facts to suit their goals and egos. "There was the narrative to
the report and the decisions made in the report," Ncube said. "What was
'noted' at the SADC summit was the factual foundation or narrative of the
Livingstone Troika report. This is because Zanu PF objected to the fact that
they were the only ones that perpetrated violence. This however was
overtaken by the facilitators report in which both Zanu PF and MDC-T were
deemed to have been perpetrators of violence by the facilitators findings.
The facilitators report as I said before was itself accepted and endorsed.

That said the decisions of the Livingstone Troika report are not in dispute
and were clearly endorsed." Ncube said the SADC summit agreed to a review of
the implementation of the GPA, the drawing up of a roadmap to elections, the
setting up of a three person panel to monitor with JOMIC the implementation
of the GPA and for the parties to desist from violence, intimidation and
hate speech.

"Therefore for all practical purposes the decisions of the summit have been
endorsed," Ncube said. Ncube said the election roadmap must contain clear
signposts. He said the constitution making process must be completed, a
report written and negotiated, a referendum passed to Parliament and
gazetted to become law.

On electoral reform, Ncube said there is already an amendment agreed to the
Electoral Act which must be implemented.

"This will deal with matters such as how to handle electoral violence, the
compilation of a new voters roll based on polling stations, auditing the
counting and tallying of votes by an independent firm," Ncube said. "Results
of the elections must be announced within 5 days."

He said the roadmap must operationalise the Human Rights Bill, which was
gazetted on Friday. Ncube said there was an agreement on media reform and
implementation. "This includes the appointment of a new Board for the ZBC, a
new board of trustees for the Mass Media Trust which includes the Herald
newspaper and other state newspapers, the issue of radio and TV licences to
new applicants."

Ncube said parties were also urged to strictly apply the the Rule of Law and
fully recognise freedom of assembly. The MDC-T said contrary to the
assertions by Zanu PF, the Executive Secretary of SADC Tomaz Salomao
reiterated, relying on article 2 of the founding document on defence and
security that SADC has a mandate to intervene in the internal affairs of a
troubled member state such as Zimbabwe.

"We welcome the unequivocal adoption of the idea of a clear roadmap to free
and fair elections," the MDC-T said in a statement. "This involves the
completion of all the steps necessary for the holding of free and fair
election including the finalisation of the constitutional reform process,
and the removal of all state-sponsored violence. Therefore this election
should be held in accordance with the SADC Principles and Guidelines
Governing Democratic Elections. We are happy that the Summit emphasized on
the need of clear timelines to be added to this roadmap, which must be ready
for adoption by the summit in August 2011.

"We reiterate that as the MDC, we are and have always been ready for free
and fair elections. We are also thrilled and exhilarated by the order given
by the Summit that all outstanding issues must be implemented by August 2011
to create an environment of peace, security and free political activity in
Zimbabwe."


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Artistic Zimbabwe goes Venice

 
http://www.rnw.nl/
Artist Misheck Masamvu on his bench made from rubber and metal
 
Published on : 14 June 2011 - 7:07pm | By RNW Africa Desk (Photo: Richard Duebel)
 

Walking into the Zibabwean exhibition in Venice the first thing I notice is that there is no stone sculpture. It was what I was expecting and its absence makes me pay more attention to the artwork that has come all the way from Africa.

By Sylvia Smith, Venice

Four Zibabwean artists are currently showcasing their art at the prestigious Venice Biennale in northern Italy. This is the first independent African pavilion to make an appearance at the event which will run until the end of November. The theme of the 54th Venice Biennale Illumination revealed in a new light the latest developments in contemporary art in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean exhibition Seeing Ourselves puts on display the talents of four Zimbabwean artists who showed work in a variety of media from photography and painting to installation.

According to Doreen Sibanda, the curator of the exhibition in Venice and Director of the National Gallery in Zimbabwe, the artists represent the contemporary side of what the country is producing. "After Independence we felt the need to train young artists in additonal media such as textiles, video and photography,"she explains. "So this have been an evolution that has been going on for the last 20 to 30 years." She added that she hopes that this exhibition will challenge any preconceived ideas about Zimbabwe and is just the start of putting the country's talent on an international platform.

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At the opening of Seeing Ourselves Ghanaian artists El Anatsui commented that he had expected to see turned stone sculpture for which Zimbabwe is very well known. "It is a big surprise and a treat to see the high quality of work that has been brought here," he said. "There are works by an older generation such as Tapfuma Gutsa as well as a young unknown."

Metophor for struggle
In the first room Dreadlocked Tapfuma Gutsa showed an installation on the floor. Part football pitch, part chess board, with hats and helmets instead of kings and queens, the piece was a metaphor about the struggle between villagers and the military and through the formations of the hats showed which 'team' was likely to win.

Tapfuma Gutsa says that he tries to express real issues such as inequality within society. “Most of the work in this exhibition is really gritty", he told me. "It’s also heartfelt. As far as my work goes nobody tried to influence what I was making. I did what I wanted to and I am ready to stand by it." In an adjoining room he showed a business suit made of tar and feathers - a reference to the corporate rip off going on all over Africa.

More chances for artists
Photoghrapher Calvin Dondo chose to explore the dynamics of mixed race families in Europe. His works hung round a room showing young, black children as well as teenagers who were living with white families in Southern Germany, Switzerland and France. "I started this project on adoptionlong before Madonna adopted those children from Malawi," he explains. "My work focusses on issues of identity, citizenship, migration and love - because to adopt you really have to love."

Young and up-coming painter Misheck Masamvu, wearing trendy glasses was sitting on a bench he had made out of metal and rubber. But the main focus of his work were paintings on the walls. The vividly coloured abstract acylics explore social hierarchy. He hopes that the Venice exhibition will provide more chances for interaction and exchange between Zimbabwean and international artists. "The recognition fo Zibabwean art is long overdue he declares. "This will push us into the forefront of peoples' minds."

London next?
With the long promised appearance of an exhibtion from the Democratic Republic of Congo failing to materialise, the Zimbabwean artists carried the flag for sub-saharan Africa. With a visit from the curators from Britain’s Tate gallery to look at the artwork there is a chance that Venice won’t be the last stop for this exhibition.

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